I’ve received a comment on my post about the Cruickshanks of Logie Newton from Graeme Walker. It seems that Mary Walker (1842 – 1924), the sister of Graeme’s great grandfather Gideon Walker, married James Cruickshank of Logie Newton (1839 – 1903). It’s likely that James and Mary met through their involvement with St Thomas’ Episcopal Church at Tillymorgan. Mary’s uncle was Rev Robert Walker, a newly qualified minister sent by the bishop of Aberdeen in 1851 to build and establish the church at Tillymorgan. With him went his sister Anne and his nieces Ann and Mary. The 1861 census describes Mary as a schoolmistress, and we know that at around this time James Cruickshank was the parish secretary.

According to David Bertie’s book on the Scottish Episcopal Clergy, Robert Walker was the incumbent at Tillymorgan from 1851 to 1861, being succeeded by James Gammack (1862 – 1865). In an earlier post, I mentioned the wedding at Tillymorgan of Alexander Robb, son of George Robb of Fisherford, and Bathia Hardie, in December 1856. At the time I was unable to decipher the name of the officiating minister, but I can see now that it was Robert Walker.

A few years later, in 1863, another of George’s sons, Charles, married Mary Hay at the chapel in Tillymorgan. This time the minister was James Gammack and one of the witnesses was James S. Cruickshank. Interestingly, George Robb would name two of his daughters Isabella Cruickshank Robb (1862) and Jane Gammack Robb (born 1864).

Graeme has also reminded me that the National Archives report that the records for St Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Tillymorgan, 1851 – 1908,are held in a private collection. They include registers of baptisms, confirmations, marriages and burials, minutes, and the miscellaneous correspondence of J.S. Cruickshank secretary. I wonder who owns this collection, and whether it is possible to gain access to it?